Friday, March 7, 2014

Avoid Eating Genetically Engineered Foods

Why are thousands of physicians advising patients to avoid eating
GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) [1] and how did these high-risk
foods get onto the market in the first place? The answers are
disturbing, even shocking, but may help you get healthy and stay healthy.
Foods with added bacterial or viral genes were quietly slipped into
your diet two decades ago. Using the excuse that GMOs weren’t that much
different, the FDA didn’t require labels or even a single safety study from GMO makers like Monsanto. But a lawsuit forced the agency to release their files and the truth finally came out.
FDA scientists repeatedly warned
that GMOs could create allergies, toxins, new diseases and nutritional
problems, and that rigorous safety testing was needed. But the White
House had instructed the FDA to promote biotechnology, and Michael
Taylor, Monsanto’s former attorney, was put in charge of FDA policy.
(Taylor later became Monsanto’s chief lobbyist, and has returned to FDA
as US Food Czar.)
Can you trust Monsanto with your family’s health? That company that told us that Agent Orange, DDT and PCBs were safe.
Now Monsanto’s “Roundup Ready” crops are engineered to withstand
their Roundup herbicide, which gets absorbed into the food and can’t be
washed off. A 2014 study found Roundup the most toxic of all herbicides and insecticides they tested. According to MIT scientist Stephanie Seneff, Roundup may be “the most important factor in the development of multiple chronic diseases and conditions.” She co-authored a seminal paper
linking it to obesity, heart disease, inflammatory bowel, IBS, autism,
allergies, MS, Parkinson’s, depression, infertility, Alzheimer’s and
cancer.
Some GMOs, e.g. corn, have built-in pesticides that break open holes in the stomach of insects. A 2012 laboratory study confirmed that the toxin opens holes in human cells. And a Canadian study found both the toxin and Roundup in the blood of most pregnant women and their fetuses.
If you don’t trust GMOs, you’re not alone. According to a 2013 survey
by Hartman Group, over 120 million Americans say they try to avoid
them. That number has more than doubled since 2007. [2] When
people eliminate GMOs, they (and their physicians) often report more
energy, weight loss, better digestion, reduced allergies and skin
conditions, and relief from numerous chronic conditions. [3]
Veterinarians, farmers and pet owners describe similar improvements with
animals taken off GMOs. According to a research review by the American
Academy of Environmental Medicine, many of these disorders also afflict lab animals fed GMOs. We believe it is not a coincidence that the rise of these types of health issues in the US population parallels the use of GMOs and Roundup.
In addition to the health dangers, independent studies also show that GMOs don’t increase yields, don’tsolve world hunger and massively increase herbicide use.
GMO advocates aggressively deny any evidence against them. According to Nature,
a “large block of scientists [...] denigrate research by other
legitimate scientists in a knee-jerk, partisan, emotional way.” Tactics
include threats, gag orders and termination.
The industry’s own research, on the other hand, is widely criticized as “tobacco science,” carefully designed to cover up problems.
And just as a Monsanto man guided FDA policy, GMO review committees
worldwide are often stacked with industry representatives who rubber
stamp approvals or declare GMOs safe by ignoring data to the contrary.
Now the FDA is considering approval of GMO salmon, as well as
allowing GMO mosquitoes loose in the Florida Keys. In fact, countless
GMO plants, animals, fish, insects and bacteria are being developed in
labs around the world. Each could irreversibly contaminate the gene
pool.
Before we replace nature, let’s demand independent, comprehensive
long-term safety studies. Until then, stop feeding us the products
produced by this immature science. References:

At medical conferences where I spoke about the health risks of
GMOs, I polled the audience asking practitioners to rate themselves how
active they were, or planned to be, at prescribing non-GMO diets to
patients.

Hartman Group Sustainability 2013 presentation on consumer eating
preferences. Survey showed 39% of Americans polled "deliberately
avoid/reduce" GMOs in daily diet. In 2010, it was 25%. In 2007, about
17%.

The Institute for Responsible Technology collects testimonials and
case studies about health conditions that may be related to a GMO vs.
non-GMO diet. Over many years we have interviewed doctors,
nutritionists, and consumers, received numerous emails, and solicited
comments from audiences at more 90 events. We also collect statement
from farmers, pet owners, and veterinarians about impacts on animals